Middle East
The White House logo over an image of a helicopter raid targeting a vessel near the Strait of Hormuz on April 13, 2024. Photo: AP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The White House on Saturday condemned Iran for seizing an Israeli-affiliated ship in international waters and called on Tehran to “immediately” release the vessel.
A Portuguese-flagged ship was seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. Iranian state media said that the ship belonged to “Zionist tycoon” Eyal Ofer, an Israeli billionaire and chairman of Zodiac Maritime, a London-based international shipping operator.
“We call on Iran to release the vessel & its international crew immediately,” United States National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a post on X, labelling the seizure “an act of piracy.”
We strongly condemn the Iranian seizure of the Portuguese flagged, British-owned MSC AIRES in international waters. The crew is comprised of Indian, Filipino, Pakistani, Russian & Estonian nationals. We call on Iran to release the vessel & its international crew immediately.
— Adrienne Watson (@NSC_Spox) April 13, 2024
“It must be condemned unequivocally, & we will work with our partners to hold Iran to account for its actions,” she added.
US President Joe Biden cut his weekend trip to Delaware short and returned to Washington to consult with his national security team regarding the situation in the Middle East amid Iranian threats to strike Israel.
The Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority on Saturday evening announced it has temporarily closed its airspace to all incoming, outgoing, and transitioning aircrafts, in light of "regional tensions."
Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have repeatedly warned that Israel will be “punished” for an April 1 attack on Tehran’s embassy in Damascus that killed at least seven people, including two IRGC generals. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the strike.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz took to X on Wednesday, threatening to strike Iran directly if it attacks Israeli territory.
Biden on Friday said that he expects Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran against the move as he reiterated Washington’s ironclad commitment to Israel.
The Israeli army on Saturday announced that three missiles and two explosive drones crossed from Lebanese territory into Israel, hours after Israeli fighter jets targeted a series of locations allegedly belonging to Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Over 33,000 people, including more than 13,000 children, have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of Israel’s brutal campaign in the strip in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack. The Palestinian group killed some 1,200 people and took around 200 others hostage in the surprise assault.
The United Nations Security Council in late March passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israeli offensive on Gaza for the rest of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, but Israel refused to comply.
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